Haruko's Woes
by onzeh11
Summary: Her feelings were hanging by a thread.


Disclaimer: All mentioned characters are not mine.

A/N: Adele's Chasing Pavements. It just makes sense to use this song as an inspiration for Haruko's situation with Rukawa, right? Reviews are much appreciated, so please write one!

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How do I even begin to explain and give justice to the beauty of his shooting stance? I'll give it a try. The perfect blend of gracefulness, timeliness, and forcefulness; like lemon slices drowned in gooey honey. The sweet and tangy citrus flavors that couldn't possibly taste good together is well in fact, delightfully delicious and preposterously invigorating. The swooshing sound it made as the ball went in the net was like a harmonious orchestra performance in my ears. Okay, that was a quite let down. But, you get my point, don't you? My heart was pounding so hard it started to hurt. Our team lost because of that amazing player, Rukawa Kaede. From then on, I knew.

Tears trickled out endlessly when I saw him playing forcefully today. Why? Probably because I could tell how much effort he's putting into basketball. Maybe because I could see that he was willing to die just to improve himself? His aura was screaming to be perfect, to be the best, not only in our prefecture, but also in the country. It scared me. His desire to be number one was burning; it consumed all of him. Do or die trying, huh?

My petty attempts to be noticed are in vain. Sometimes, I think that the only way he will even glance at me is when I suddenly turn into a ball. Stupid but entirely true, isn't it? In his mind, there's just no more space left for anything else. Imagine fighting a battle against an invisible enemy. How do you compete with that? I would have felt better being jealous of an actual person, but a sport he's so passionate about? It's just impossible. He can't see past basketball, I know that, unfortunately, all too well. I can't believe I'm envious of something that made me like him in the first place. Funnily, when I think about it, it's exactly like a love triangle. I'm the one that gets her heart-broken. Pathetic. It's a battle lost long before it even begun. I'm just another girl who fell for him, after all.

Days after winning against Ryonan, the team encountered yet another obstacle: failing marks. Onii-chan made me tutor Rukawa-kun, as Sakuragi-kun was his to handle. It made me so nervous to be close, yet alone talk. He had to fight off his sleepy bouts, nodding off now and then. I found it absolutely adorable. Mitsui-sempai and Ryouta-sempai were knocked out on the couch.

"Finished." he yawned.

Ayako-san commented that it was a miracle for him to be awake at this hour. I looked at his work and smiled a little. His handwriting showed exactly how sleepy he was. I wanted to ask him as to why he was putting so much effort during practice but sleep got to him before I even got the chance. He looked so peaceful, almost angelic.

They studied for their make up exams, under the threat that they aren't allowed to play in the nationals with such grades. Thankfully, the four troublesome players, passed. Shohoku's basketball team is on the way to the nationals! Everybody is excited about it. Onii-chan has great teammates this year, and even though he's too stubborn to admit it, he's glad to have them. He's a step closer to his dreams and I'm really happy for him.

As I walk down the hall, I saw him looking around in our classroom. That's weird. Knowing him, he should either be training or fast asleep somewhere in campus. Oh, his precious catnaps. It's the next best thing for him… such a strange kid. The girls are around him are swooning at his august presence. Who am I kidding? I would pass out too! He then turned my way and looked me straight in the eye. This is getting weirder by the moment…

"Haruko-san," he said plainly. I can see the girls throwing daggers at me…figuratively speaking, of course.

"Yes?" was all I can blurt out. I might have passed out and possibly dreaming this, right? I mean…

"Arigato" without saying anything else, he made his way - towards the gym, I presume.

Right there and then, a smile found its way to my lips. It's a smile that won't be leaving any time soon.

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A/N: I had to edit this because I got a message telling me that I broke a rule, and so... tada! Don't forget to send me love by leaving a review. Thanks for reading!


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